{"id":8440,"date":"2016-04-19T16:46:51","date_gmt":"2016-04-19T15:46:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=8440"},"modified":"2016-04-19T16:46:51","modified_gmt":"2016-04-19T15:46:51","slug":"govts-house-of-cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=8440","title":{"rendered":"Govt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s house of cards"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

First it was cuts to tax credits, then the raid on disability benefits \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and now measures in the Housing Bill are facing defeat. The government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s proposed policies, all taking aim at those who are most vulnerable, are tumbling down like a house of cards.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Last week, the House of Lords passed amendments seeking to dismantle the worst of the Housing and Planning Bill, which if made into law in its current state, will destroy affordable housing as we know it and exacerbate the housing crisis to the point of no return.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A coalition of peers defeated a measure in the Bill that would allow first time buyers under 40 to purchase houses valued up to \u00c2\u0141450,000 in London and \u00c2\u0141250,000 outside the capital with a 20 per cent discount.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The government initially proposed that the discount would expire after five years \u00e2\u20ac\u201c meaning that these buyers, the vast majority of whom will be already wealthy, can keep the discount and sell their home at full-market rate afterwards.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Critics have said that this measure will decimate available housing and so make housing more unaffordable than ever, all while enabling many wealthy homeowners to cash in on a discount of more than \u00c2\u0141100,000 each. This measure alone would cost the taxpayer more than \u00c2\u01414bn.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now, ministers have agreed that those who buy starter homes can only keep the discount if they sell their home after 20 years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Another measure in the Bill would force councils to sell off their high value homes to fund an extension of right-to-buy to those living in housing associations. Councils would then be forced to hand over the vast majority of the proceeds to central government. But now, a Lords amendment would require Parliament to approve any government raid of these proceeds.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Iniquitous proposal <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Perhaps the most iniquitous proposal in the Bill is \u00e2\u20ac\u015bPay to Stay\u00e2\u20ac\u0165, which forces council tenants earning more than \u00c2\u014130,000 a year (\u00c2\u014140,000 a year in London), to pay the local private sector rent rate \u00e2\u20ac\u201c or else be kicked out of their homes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But the Lords hit back at the measure with a set of amendments including one that would allow councils to voluntarily opt-in to \u00e2\u20ac\u015bPay to Stay\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Independent crossbencher Lord Best spoke after the amendment was passed 240 to 176, calling the original proposal \u00e2\u20ac\u0098vindictive\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe extra payment by the tenant is not rent since it does not relate to the property and the landlord does not receive it,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt is a payment that goes to the exchequer based on one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s income and that is normally called a tax.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe anyone wants vindictively to tax successful council tenants just for the sake of it,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Lord Best added.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn the light of the amendment we have just passed, if accepted by the other place councils will be able to opt out of this duty to collect this housing tax for the exchequer \u00e2\u20ac\u201c my guess is that unless \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 local authorities can keep the monies they raise and apply them to housing purposes, virtually all councils will opt out, if this amendment survives.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

These aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the only measures in the Bill that the Lords have attacked \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a full list can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But MPs may reject the Lords\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 amendments when the Bill returns to the House of Commons next Monday (April 25).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite member Glyn Robbins manages a small council estate in Islington, north London and is part of the Unite housing workers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 branch \u00e2\u20ac\u201c he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been working in the housing sector for 25 years and knows first-hand the destruction that the housing crisis has wrought.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe Housing Bill is only the latest in a culmination of policies that have created the housing crisis,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bBut we should be under no illusion that this Bill will have the net effect of making the crisis much, much worse.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOver the years I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been in the sector, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen the relentless reduction in genuinely affordable housing happening in tandem with ever-increasing demand,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bNow, you see children in their early and mid-twenties continuing to live with their parents and you see people spending 50 per cent or more of their income solely on rent \u00e2\u20ac\u201c this is the new norm.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bA problem that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s less tangible is the destruction of cohesive communities,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Robbins noted. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bFamilies who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve lived for generations in one estate or one area are being pushed out. The transience that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s become the hallmark of the private rented sector means that sense of community is now becoming a thing of the past.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Robbins added that the worsening housing crisis is increasingly becoming a workplace issue for those employed in the housing sector.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bNot only are members in the housing sector being affected in their private lives \u00e2\u20ac\u201c they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re taking a massive hit at work as well. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re seeing more and more job losses, pay cuts and de-recognition of unions as well.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He noted that housing associations have slowly evolved from their original purpose as charities to becoming much more like businesses.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnd measures in the Housing Bill will only further accelerate this transformation,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Destruction of affordable homes\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner called the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Housing Bill \u00e2\u20ac\u015bthe latest chapter in the story of the destruction of affordable and social homes in this country.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe already have a housing crisis of epic proportions \u00e2\u20ac\u201d instead of solving this issue with a mass council house building programme, caps on rent and regulations on rip-off landlords, the Bill will reduce the housing stock even more and the only ones who will benefit, yet again, are those who are already wealthy,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bTheir so-called \u00e2\u20ac\u0098starter homes\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 may sound like homes that give young people an opportunity to get on the housing ladder,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Turner added.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bBut when the price tag for a supposedly \u00e2\u20ac\u0098affordable\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 home can be nearly half a million pounds in London, and when you can sell off the house at full market rent only five years later, we know exactly what \u00e2\u20ac\u0098starter homes\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 are \u00e2\u20ac\u201d they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re simply a massive, taxpayer funded discount for a small number of people who are able to take advantage of the property market.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhat it is not is a solution to the millions of people who need a safe, secure home they can genuinely afford.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bExtending the right-to-buy to housing associations and forcing councils to flog off their most valuable properties and hand the proceeds to central government, will worsen the housing crisis by degrees by destroying our already dwindling housing stock,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he went on to say.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s moreover an aggressive assertion of central government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s powers \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a bit rich coming from a government that harps on and on about localism.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Condemning the so-called \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Pay to Stay\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 measure, Turner said it was \u00e2\u20ac\u015bdesigned to force people in social housing to choose between taking extra hours, a better job or a pay rise and having to pay extra rent for their home; choices that residents in other housing sectors rightly do not have to make.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt will simply push tenants into the Wild West that is the private rented sector \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which the government has shown zero interest in properly regulating, instead voting against an amendment that would have ensured all landlords provided homes suitable for human habitation,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he argued. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThat is how much this government cares about delivering proper homes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe House of Lords recently passing amendments to the Bill shows the level of opposition that the Bill is now facing, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something that we at Unite very much welcome. But amendments aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t enough \u00e2\u20ac\u201d we oppose the Bill in its entirety and urge everyone to join us in the fight against it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Robbins agreed and highlighted how a growing campaign against the Housing Bill is having a very real impact.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve campaigned very hard on this issue and what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s happening in the Lords now shows that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s working,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn every way it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been a grassroots movement,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bBeing a bottom-up movement \u00e2\u20ac\u201c with tenants, housing workers, and entire communities coming together \u00e2\u20ac\u201c is its greatest strength.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bBut we need more resources and more support,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Robbins noted. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re on the brink of winning \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stop now.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He urged everyone to get involved in the Kill the Housing Bill campaign, which is set to host a mass demonstration and lobby outside of Parliament on May 11. Find out more here.<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First it was cuts to tax credits, then the raid on disability benefits \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and now measures in the Housing Bill are facing defeat. The government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s proposed policies, all taking aim at those who are most vulnerable, are tumbling down like a house of cards.   Last week, the House of Lords passed amendments seeking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3946,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[109,131,175],"wps_subtitle":"Its housing policies are tumbling down","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8440"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8440"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8441,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8440\/revisions\/8441"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}